Private gym plans for Church Street

Tuesday 13 April 2021

A local businessman is looking to set up a new gym in town for private personal training.

Jonathan Ruff’s company, Ruff Ventures, has put forward a planning application to convert the ground floor of 2-6 Church Street in St. Helier, into a private fitness studio.

Pictured: The proposals suggest turning the ground floor offices of 2-6 Church Street into a private gym.

The new plans propose installing a new gym area in the office space, which has been unoccupied for 12 months. It also proposes putting in changing room facilities, and a treatment room. The first to third floors of the building would remain as office space.

The space would be used to facilitate a maximum of 10 personal trainers providing 1:1 training at any time, with the design statement submitted alongside the planning application emphasising that “this is not designed to be a public gym space, more of a private training studio.” 

It further requests the change of use of the ground floor from Class B Restaurant to Class C Sport and Fitness, arguing that “by supporting a private training studio we are upholding the Island Plan’s positive message to support a local business survive and ultimately thrive.”

Pictured: The ground floor has been unoccupied for 12 months.

Speaking about the impact on the area around it, it further claims that it would “decrease the amount of ‘foot traffic’ to and from the building”, reducing the 45 people who would be using the existing office space, to only a maximum of 20 at one time within the gym 

The proposals are before the Planning Department for consideration.